2. Slide presentation software such as
PowerPoint has become an ingrained
part of many instructional settings,
particularly in large classes and in
courses more geared toward information
exchange than skill development.
PowerPoint can be a highly effective
tool to aid learning, but if not used
carefully, may instead disengage
students and actually hinder learning.

3. Potential benefits of using presentation graphics include:
 Engaging multiple learning styles
 Increasing visual impact
 Improving audience focus
 Providing annotations and highlights
 Analyzing and synthesizing complexities
 Enriching curriculum with interdisciplinarity
 Increasing spontaneity and interactivity
 Increasing wonder

4. Although there are many potential benefits to PowerPoint, there are several issues
that could create problems or disengagement:
 Teacher-centered. Students often respond better when instructors have designed
sessions for greater classroom interaction, such as the use of student response
clickers, designing PowerPoint to facilitate case studies, or use the slides as
a replacement for paper worksheets.
 Lack of feedback. PowerPoint-based lectures tell you nothing about student
learning. Design them to include opportunities for feedback (not simply asking if
there are questions, but more actively quizzing your students). This often takes the
form of listing questions, not information, on the slides themselves.
 Student inactivity. Slide shows do little to model how students should interact with
the material on their own. Include student activities or demonstrations to
overcome this, either before or after the slideshow presentation.
 Potentially reductive. PowerPoint was designed to promote simple persuasive
arguments. Design for critical engagement, not just for exposure to a ―point.‖
 Presentation graphics should be about learning, not about presentation.
 PowerPoint presentations should help students organize their notes, not just ―be‖
the notes. This is a particular danger with students who grew up accustomed to
receiving PowerPoint notes to study from. Some may require convincing that
notes should be taken beyond what is already on the slides.

5. This single presentation about the anatomy of the human eye has been rewritten in three
different ways:
 Text-heavy: this version offers complete phrases and a comprehensive recording in
words of the material. The text-heavy version can be used as the lecturer's speaking
notes, and doubles as student notes that can be made available for download either
before or after the lecture has taken place. If the information can be accessed
elsewhere, such as a textbook, it may be preferable to avoid a text-heavy approach,
which many students find disengaging during the delivery.
 Some images: this version sacrifices some of the completeness of the material to create
space for accompanying images. The mixed approach appeals to more visual learners
while keeping some lecture notes visible, though perhaps in a more abbreviated format.
This is a common mode of delivery in large classes. However, there are still some
challenges. There is enough material already present in text format that some students
may feel obliged to write it all down in their own notes, thus paying less attention to the
verbal lecture. Conversely, if the slides are available for download, some students may
be able to eschew note-taking in class, yet be tempted to consider these fragmentary
notes sufficient for studying for exams.
 Image-heavy: this version relies almost exclusively on images, with little text. The image-
heavy approach signals to students that they will have to take their own notes, as these
are plainly insufficient on their own for studying. However, lecturers often need more
than visual clues to remind themselves how to propel the lecture forward, and separate
notes may be required. One elegant solution is to use "Presenter View" on the speaker's
screen (which displays the notes only to you) and project the slides without notes onto
the larger screen visible to the audience.

6. Elizabeth Rash (Nursing) provided this sample interative
case study (where parameters evolve over time) given to
a midsize class. Students are required to come to class
prepared having read online resources, the text, and
a narrated slideshow presentation that accompanies
each module. The classroom is problem-based (case-
based) and interactive, where students are introduced to
a young woman who ages as the semester progresses
and confronts multiple health issues. Since the nurse
practitioner students are being prepared to interact with
patients, some slides require students to interview another
classmate in a micro role-play. Problem-based lectures
frequently alternate between providing information and
posing problems to the students, which alters the entire
character of the presentation. Rather than explain and
convey information, many slides ask questions that are
intended to prompt critical thinking or discussion.

7. Classroom response systems can improve
students' learning by engaging them
actively in the learning process. Instructors
can employ the systems to gather
individual responses from students or to
gather anonymous feedback. It is possible
to use the technology to give quizzes and
tests, to take attendance, and to quantify
class participation. Some of the systems
provide game formats that encourage
debate and team competition. Reports are
typically exported to Excel for upload to the
instructor's grade book.

8. Instructors who do not have sufficient
photocopying opportunities in their
departments may be less likely to use paper
worksheets with their students, especially in
large classes. PowerPoint offers the ability to
approximate worksheets to illustrate processes
or to provide "worked examples" that shows
problem-solving step-by-step. One valuable
technique is to first demonstrate a process or
problem on one slide, then ask students to work
on a similar problem revealed on the next slide,
using their own paper rather than worksheets
handed out.

9. The PowerPoint software itself includes built-in functionality
to record your audio commentary. In this fashion,
instructors can literally deliver their entire lecture
electronically, which can be especially useful in an online
course. The resulting file is still a standard PowerPoint file,
but when the slideshow is "played," the recorded
instructor's voice narrates the action, and the slides
advance on their own, turning whenever they had been
advanced by the lecturer during the recording.
It is also possible to use AuthorPoint Lite, a free software
download, to take the narrated PowerPoint presentation
and transform it all into a Flash video movie, which plays in
any Web browser. To create such a video, you must first
record a narrated presentation, and then use AuthorPoint
Lite to convert the file.

10. Using this mode of PowerPoint, your slides are projected as
usual on the big screen and fill the entire space, but the
computer used by the lecturer displays the slides in preview
mode, with the space for notes visible at the bottom of the
screen. In this fashion, lecturers can have a set of notes
separate from what is displayed to the students, which has
the overall effect of increasing the engagement of the
presentation.
 This example of "Life in Elizabethan England" shows how to
structure a presentation with nothing but images on screen,
using the Presenter View to hold the lecturer's notes.
 Microsoft's tutorial explains how to configure the Presenter
View.

11.  Avoid reading: if your slides contain lengthy text, lecture
"around" the material rather than reading it directly.
 Dark screen: an effective trick to focus attention on you
and your words is to temporarily darken the screen, which
can be accomplished by clicking the "B" button on the
keyboard. Hitting "B" again will toggle the screen back to
your presentation.
 Navigate slides smoothly: the left-mouse click advances to
the next slide, but it's more cumbersome to right-click to
move back one slide. The keyboard's arrow keys work
more smoothly to go forward and backward in the
presentation. Also, if you know the number of a particular
slide, you can simply type that number, followed by the
ENTER key, to jump directly to that slide.

12.  Text size: text must be clearly readable from the back of the
room. Too much text or too small a font will be difficult to read.
 Avoid too much text: one common suggestion is to adhere to
the 6x6 rule (no more than six words per line, and no more than
six lines per slide). The "Takahasi Method" goes so far as to
recommend enormous text and nothing else on the slide, not
even pictures, perhaps as little as just one word on each slide.
 Contrast: light text on dark backgrounds will strain the eyes.
Minimize this contrast, and opt instead for dark text on light
backgrounds. Combinations to avoid, in case of partial color
blindness in the audience, include red-green, or blue-yellow.
 Transitions and animations should be used sparingly and
consistently to avoid distractions.
 Template: do not change the template often. The basic format
should be consistent and minimal.
 Use graphics and pictures to illustrate and enhance the
message, not just for prettiness.

13. Other ideas for use on a PowerPoint presentation
include:
 Change font
 Shapes
 Clip art
 Images
 Charts
 Tables
 Transitions
 Animations
 Animating text or chart

14. 1. Start by creating an outline
The most important part of any presentation is the content, not the graphical appeal.
That is why you should develop your presentation with the content first, before
deciding on the look (colours, graphics, etc.) Create a good structure for your
presentation by reflecting on the goal of the presentation, what your audience is
thinking right now, and what points you need to make in order to move the audience
from where they are to where you want them to be. Write an outline on paper or use
sticky notes so you can move ideas around. By creating an outline first, you ensure that
the content of your presentation is solid before you concern yourself with the visual
elements.
2. Use Contrasting Colours
If you want your audience to be able to see what you have on the slide, there needs
to be a lot of contrast between the text colour and the background colour. I suggest a
dark background with light text – I usually use a medium to dark blue background and
white or yellow letters. Some prefer a light background and dark letters, which will also
work well - which you choose will depend on personal preference. Don’t think that just
because the text looks fine on your computer screen that it will look fine when
projected. Most projectors make colours duller than they appear on a screen, and you
should check how your colours look when projected to make sure there is still enough
contrast. To check that your colors have enough contrast, use the Color Contrast
Calculator.

15. 3. Use a big enough font
When deciding what font size to use in your presentation, make sure it is big enough so
that the audience can read it. I usually find that any font size less than 24 point is too
small to be reasonably read in most presentation situations. I would prefer to see most
text at a 28 or 32 point size, with titles being 36 to 44 point size. The only reason I would
use a font less than 24 point is when adding explanatory text to a graph or diagram,
where you could use a 20 point font size. If you are given a small screen in a big room,
your font will look smaller because the image will not be as big as it should be. In this
case, see if you can get a larger screen, use a wall instead of a screen to project on,
move the chairs closer to the screen or remove the last few rows of chairs.
4. Stop the moving text
When text comes on the screen, we want the audience to read the text, then focus
back on the presenter to hear the message. If the text moves onto the screen in any
way – such as flying in, spiral or zooming – it makes it harder for the audience members
to read since they have to wait until the text has stopped before they can read it. This
makes the presenter wait longer between each point and makes the audience
members focus more on the movement than on what is being said. I suggest the use
of the "Appear" effect, which just makes the text appear and is the easiest for the
audience to read.
5. Turn the pointer off
During a presentation, it is very annoying to have the pointer (the little arrow) come on
the screen while the presenter is speaking. It causes movement on the screen and
draws the audience attention from the presenter to the screen. The pointer comes on
when the mouse is moved during the presentation. To prevent this from happening,
after the Slide Show view has started, press the Ctrl-H key combination. This prevents
mouse movement from showing the pointer. If you need to bring the pointer on screen
after this, press the A key. If the pointer does appear during your presentation, resist the
urge to press the Escape key – if you do, it will stop the presentation and drop you
back into the program. Press the A key or Ctrl-H to make the pointer disappear.

16. 6. Use visuals instead of text slides
Every two years I ask audiences what annoys them about bad PowerPoint
presentations. The latest survey confirms that audiences are more fed up
than ever with the overload of text on slides (see the latest survey
results here). Instead of using slides that only contain text, use visuals such
as graphs, diagrams, photos and media clips to engage the
audience. I've developed a five-step method for creating persuasive
visuals in my book The Visual Slide Revolution. Read the free chapter to see
a summary of the process you can use to create your own persuasive
visuals. Looking for professional photos that don't cost a lot? Check
out istockphoto.com, where I go for great looking photos at reasonable
prices.
7. Have Slides at the End of Your Presentation
The last slide you speak to should not be the last slide in your presentation
file. You should have three identical copies of your last speaking slide so
that if you accidentally advance one too many times at the end of your
presentation, your audience never knows because you don’t drop into the
program, the slide looks like it has not changed. After these slides, you
should include some slides that answer questions that you expect to be
asked. These slides will be useful during Q&A sessions after the presentation.
The final slide should be a blank slide so that if you go through all the other
slides, you have a final backup from dropping into the program.

17. 8. Be able to Jump to Any Slide
PowerPoint has a feature that allows you to be able to move quickly and
seamlessly to any slide in your presentation. To do so, you need to know the
slide numbers. The easiest way to print a list of the slide numbers and
associated slide titles is to go to the Outline View and collapse the details
for each slide (there is a button on the left side of the screen in this view that
will do this). Then print the view. To jump to any slide, just enter the slide
number on the keyboard and press the Enter key. This will move you directly
to that slide. This technique is very useful for moving to a prepared Q&A
slide or for skipping parts of your presentation if time becomes an issue.
9. Blank the screen
Sometimes we want the image on the screen to disappear so that the
audience is focused solely on the presenter. There are two ways to do this.
The first is if you want to blank the screen with a black image, similar to
shutting the projector off (we used to do this all the time with overhead
projectors by just shutting the projector off). Just press the B key on the
keyboard and the image is replaced with a black image. Press the B key
again and the image is restored. If you want to use a white image instead
of a black image, press the W key each time.
10. Draw on the screen during a presentation
Sometimes it can be valuable to be able to draw on the screen during your
presentation to illustrate a particular point or item. This can be done in the
following way. Press the Ctrl-P key combination to display a pen on the
screen. Then, using the left mouse button, draw on the slide as you wish. To
erase what you have drawn, press the E key. To hide the pen, press the A
key or the Ctrl-H key combination.

18. Gary Chapman, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Showing things to an audience during a speech is as old as public
speaking. In nearly all cases, showing an audience a physical thing,
an actual object, is the best way to engage an audience’s attention.
But when this isn’t possible, presentation software like PowerPoint (or
Apple’s Keynote software) allows the modern public speaker to show
things to an audience on a large screen.
What has been turned upside-down over the past decade’s spread of
PowerPoint, for most PowerPoint users, is that the ―speech‖ is now mostly
what’s on the screen, rather than what is spoken. In other words, the
proper relation of the illustration tool to the speech has been reversed. In
the opinion of many people, this has tragically damaged the art of
public speaking. No one can imagine Abraham Lincoln nor Martin
Luther King, Jr., needing PowerPoint. But today many people who give
oral presentations cannot imagine doing so without PowerPoint.
In the interest of restoring some balance to the use of PowerPoint,
without rejecting its use altogether, here are some suggestions for how
to use PowerPoint effectively.

19. 1. PowerPoint, when displayed via a projector, is a useful tool for showing audiences
things that enhance what the speaker is saying. It is a useful tool for illustrating the
content of a speech, such as by showing photos, graphs, charts, maps, etc., or by
highlighting certain text from a speech, such as quotations or major ideas. It should not
be used as a slide-show outline of what the speaker is telling the audience.
2. 2. Slides used in a presentation should be spare, in terms of how much information is on
each slide, as well as how many slides are used. A rule of thumb is to put no more than
eight lines of text on a slide, and with no more than eight to ten words per line. In most
cases, less is more, so four lines of text is probably better. Don’t display charts or graphs
with a lot of information—if it’s useful for the audience to see such things, pass them
out as handouts.
3. 3. Unless you’re an experienced designer, don’t use the transition and animation
―tricks‖ that are built into PowerPoint, such as bouncing or flying text. By now, most
people roll their eyes when they see these things, and these tricks add nothing of value
to a presentation.
4. 4. Above all, use high-contrast color schemes so that whatever is on your slides is
readable. Unless you are a talented graphic designer, use the templates that come
with PowerPoint or Keynote, and keep it simple—high concept design in a slide
presentation doesn’t help in most circumstances, unless you’re in the fashion or design
fields. If you use graphics or photos, try to use the highest quality you can find or
afford—clip art and low-resolution graphics blown up on a screen usually detract from
a presentation.

20. 5. Rehearse your PowerPoint presentation and not just once. Don’t let PowerPoint get in
the way of your oral presentation, and make sure you know how it works, what
sequence the slides are in, how to get through it using someone else’s computer, etc.
Make sure that you can deliver your presentation if PowerPoint is completely
unavailable; in other words, make sure you can give your speech without your
PowerPoint presentation.
6. 6. Get used to using black slides. There are few speeches that need something
displayed on the screen all the time. If you include a black slide in your presentation,
your audience will refocus on you, rather than on the screen, and you can direct them
back to the screen when you have something else to show them. Put a black screen
at the end of your presentation, so that when you’re done, the PowerPoint
presentation is finished and off the screen.
7. 7. Concentrate on keeping the audience focused on you, not on the screen. You can
do this by using slides sparingly, standing in front of the audience in a way that makes
them look at you, and, if possible, going to the screen and using your hand or arm to
point out things on a slide. If you expect to be using PowerPoint a lot, invest in a
remote ―clicker‖ that lets you get away from the computer and still drive your
presentation. If you don’t have one of those, it’s better to ask someone to run the
presentation than to be behind a screen and keyboard while you talk.
8. 8. If you show something on a computer that requires moving the cursor around, or
flipping from one screen to another, or some other technique that requires interaction
with the computer itself, remember that people in the audience will see things very
differently on the projection screen than you see them on the computer screen. Keep
motion on the screen to a minimum, unless you’re showing a movie or a video. It’s
better to show a static screenshot of a Web page, embedded on a slide, than to call
up the Web page in a browser on a computer. If you want to point out something on
a Web page, go to the screen and point at it—don’t jiggle the cursor around what
you want people to look at: their heads will look like bobble-headed dolls.

21. 9. Don’t ―cue‖ the audience that listening to your speech means getting through your
PowerPoint presentation. If the audience sees that your PowerPoint presentation is the
structure of your speech, they’ll start wondering how many slides are left. Slides should
be used asynchronously within your speech, and only to highlight or illustrate things.
Audiences are bored with oral presentations that go from one slide to the next until the
end. Engage the audience, and use slides only when they are useful.
10. Learn how to give a good speech without PowerPoint. This takes practice, which
means giving speeches without PowerPoint. Believe it or not, public speaking existed
before PowerPoint, and many people remember it as being a lot better then than it is
now. A few people use presentation software in extremely effective ways—Steve Jobs
and Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig are two examples. Al Gore’s use of
Keynote in the movie ―An Inconvenient Truth‖ was a good model. But these three
examples don’t look at all like the way most people use PowerPoint. Avoiding bad
PowerPoint habits means, first and foremost, becoming a good public speaker.